Psalm 134

CALL TO EVENING WORSHIP
A song of ascents.

Now bless the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord
who stand in the Lord’s house at night!
2 Lift up your hands in the holy place
and bless the Lord!
3 May the Lord,
Maker of heaven and earth,
bless you from Zion.

Psalm 135

THE LORD IS GREAT
Hallelujah!
Praise the name of the Lord.
Give praise, you servants of the Lord
2 who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, for it is delightful.
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his treasured possession.
5 For I know that the Lord is great;
our Lord is greater than all gods.
6 The Lord does whatever he pleases
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all the depths.
7 He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
and brings the wind from his storehouses.
8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both people and animals.
9 He sent signs and wonders against you, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his officials.
10 He struck down many nations
and slaughtered mighty kings:
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan.
12 He gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13 Lord, your name endures forever,
your reputation, Lord,
through all generations.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.
15 The idols of the nations are of silver and gold,
made by human hands.
16 They have mouths but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears but cannot hear;
indeed, there is no breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
19 House of Israel, bless the Lord!
House of Aaron, bless the Lord!
20 House of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who revere the Lord, bless the Lord!
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion;
he dwells in Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!

Psalm 136

GOD’S LOVE IS ETERNAL
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
4 He alone does great wonders.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
5 He made the heavens skillfully.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
6 He spread the land on the waters.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
7 He made the great lights:
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
8 the sun to rule by day,
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
9 the moon and stars to rule by night.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
10 He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
12 with a strong hand and outstretched arm.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
13 He divided the Red Sea
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
14 and led Israel through,
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
15 but hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
16 He led his people in the wilderness.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
17 He struck down great kings
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
18 and slaughtered famous kings —
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
20 and Og king of Bashan —
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
22 an inheritance to Israel his servant.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
23 He remembered us in our humiliation
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
24 and rescued us from our foes.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
25 He gives food to every creature.
‘His faithful love endures forever’.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven!
‘His faithful love endures forever’. –

Psalm 137

LAMENT OF THE EXILES
By the rivers of Babylon —
there we sat down and wept
when we remembered Zion.
2 There we hung up our lyres
on the poplar trees,
3 for our captors there asked us for songs,
and our tormentors, for rejoicing:
“Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
4 How can we sing the Lord’s song
on foreign soil?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!
7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites said
that day at Jerusalem:
“Destroy it! Destroy it
down to its foundations! ”
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who pays you back
what you have done to us.
9 Happy is he who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rocks.

1 Corinthians 9

PAUL’S EXAMPLE AS AN APOSTLE
Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?
2 If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, because you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Don’t we have the right to eat and drink? 5 Don’t we have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife like the other apostles, the Lord’s brothers, and Cephas? 6 Or do only Barnabas and I have no right to refrain from working? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not drink the milk from the flock?

8 Am I saying this from a human perspective? Doesn’t the law also say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain. Is God really concerned about oxen? 10 Isn’t he really saying it for our sake? Yes, this is written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes should thresh in hope of sharing the crop. 11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it too much if we reap material benefits from you? 12 If others have this right to receive benefits from you, don’t we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right; instead, we endure everything so that we will not hinder the gospel of Christ.

13 Don’t you know that those who perform the temple services eat the food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the offerings of the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should earn their living by the gospel.

15 For my part I have used none of these rights, nor have I written these things that they may be applied in my case. For it would be better for me to die than for anyone to deprive me of my boast! 16 For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am compelled to preach ​— ​and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward, but if unwillingly, I am entrusted with a commission. 18 What then is my reward? To preach the gospel and offer it free of charge and not make full use of my rights in the gospel.

19 Although I am free from all and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win more people. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law ​— ​though I myself am not under the law ​— ​to win those under the law. 21 To those who are without the law, like one without the law ​— ​though I am not without God’s law but under the law of Christ ​— ​to win those without the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. 23 Now I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings.

24 Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. 25 Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown. 26 So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. 27 Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

— 1 Corinthians 9:1-27 (CSB)